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Rep. Harris' Comments on Religion Draw Ire
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| 08/27/06
Posted on 08/27/2006 2:06:25 PM PDT by MikeA
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While I don't necessarily disagree with the idea that the Establishment Clause has been badly misinterpreted to mean the muzzling of all free religious expression in a government setting and it was never intended in the least to mean God and prayer and expressions of faith are to be banned from government venues, Harris could have been a little more circumspect and nuanced in her expression of this idea instead of shooting from the hip. There's an intelligent way to have handled this like saying "I don't believe the Founders ever meant the Establishment Clause to be a muzzle on religious free speech" or by even pointing out it was merely a construct to prevent the establishment of a state religion. But Harris is showing herself more and more incapable of being an effective politician who thinks before she speaks.
For all the Freepers who screamed about Rove and the White House wanting to keep Harris out of this race, we see now they weren't far wrong. This seat could have been an easy pick up with the do-nothing empty suit Bill Nelson as the Democratic candidate. Instead because Harris keeps making one gaffe after another, Nelson can spend the fall vacationing in the Bahamas and still win this race. Harris is doing his job for him. What a shame and what a waste of a prime pick up opportunity the GOP really needed this cycle.
1
posted on
08/27/2006 2:06:26 PM PDT
by
MikeA
To: MikeA
She says what she believes is true. Perhaps that makes her a political liability. I can see why we wouldn't want people of principle in public life. You stand up for absolute right and wrong, you offend too many people. Better just pander and be all things to all people.
(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )
2
posted on
08/27/2006 2:12:34 PM PDT
by
goldstategop
(In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
It's not about pandering. It's about the Constitution. She's an idiot.
3
posted on
08/27/2006 2:16:20 PM PDT
by
oolatec
To: goldstategop
It's not about pandering, it's about knowing how to put things a little more delicately than "God picks our leaders." Crimeny, I'm an active Christian but that sounds just more than a little nutty to mean. Am I suppose to believe God picked Bill Clinton to be president?
One can be passionate and give expression to their beliefs without being bombastic or foolish. There's an intelligent way to express one's self and there's a bull in the china shop approach. And when you're running for public office and needing to appeal to the broadest range of voters possible, then you need to learn how to tone down your rhetoric a bit. That doesn't rob you of your beliefs. It just means you're a person who realizes that diahhrea of the mouth isn't going to get you anywhere in politics. If she wants to talk like this then go be a TV preacher. But a politician running for office needs to show a little more wisdom and good judgment than this.
4
posted on
08/27/2006 2:17:36 PM PDT
by
MikeA
(Not voting out of anger in November is a vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House)
To: MikeA
Isn't this like the 7th thread on this subject?
5
posted on
08/27/2006 2:18:02 PM PDT
by
MikefromOhio
(aka MikeinIraq - Go Bucks!!!)
To: goldstategop
And by the way, part of being a good leader in my mind means knowing how to express one's beliefs without coming off as a bufoon. Apparently Harris is incapable of that. You do yourself no good expressing your passions in such a way as to subject them to mockery and scourn.
6
posted on
08/27/2006 2:19:28 PM PDT
by
MikeA
(Not voting out of anger in November is a vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House)
To: MikefromOhio
I did a search with the article title before posting and nothing came up. I guess Free Republic needs to develop a better search algorythm.
7
posted on
08/27/2006 2:20:28 PM PDT
by
MikeA
(Not voting out of anger in November is a vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House)
To: oolatec
"It's not about pandering. It's about the Constitution. She's an idiot."
No she isn't. She's right about everything she says and The Constitution says nothing about separating church and state.
8
posted on
08/27/2006 2:21:54 PM PDT
by
RoadTest
(- - - for without victory there is no survival. -Winston Churchill)
To: MikeA
9
posted on
08/27/2006 2:23:52 PM PDT
by
MikefromOhio
(aka MikeinIraq - Go Bucks!!!)
To: RoadTest
Whether she's right or wrong, she's certainly sank her chances.
10
posted on
08/27/2006 2:24:27 PM PDT
by
gcruse
(http://gcruse.typepad.com)
To: gcruse
I think her chances were sunk before this. Now they're buried beneath the floor of the ocean.
11
posted on
08/27/2006 2:25:11 PM PDT
by
MikeA
(Not voting out of anger in November is a vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House)
To: MikefromOhio
Go figure. Nothing came up. Maybe I left a space at the beginning of the title, who knows?
12
posted on
08/27/2006 2:25:49 PM PDT
by
MikeA
(Not voting out of anger in November is a vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House)
To: MikeA
13
posted on
08/27/2006 2:26:30 PM PDT
by
freedumb2003
(I LIKE you! When I am Ruler of Earth, yours will be a quick and painless death)
To: MikeA
Could've been the brackets I guess.....
14
posted on
08/27/2006 2:26:40 PM PDT
by
MikefromOhio
(aka MikeinIraq - Go Bucks!!!)
To: MikeA
Ping!
That's it. She overstated something a lot of (most?) freepers probably agree upon. Religion is far to relegated to the back porch in politics. But that doesn't mean that theocracy is the proper response. We need people of faith who aren't afraid to articulate their faith and passion for God. In Florida all the more so. But she went over the top and I only hope she loses her primary. Maybe this seat is salvagable.
15
posted on
08/27/2006 2:26:44 PM PDT
by
Rawlings
(Tipton Time!)
To: oolatec
Rather than calling her an idiot, why not give us a learned dissertation on why you disagree with her opinion....
susie
16
posted on
08/27/2006 2:27:18 PM PDT
by
brytlea
(amnesty--an act of clemency by an authority by which pardon is granted esp. to a group of individual)
To: MikeA
While I would probably not have said that either, the Bible does say that God puts governments in place, so yeah, I guess for some reason I don't understand He put Bill Clinton in place too.
susie
17
posted on
08/27/2006 2:28:30 PM PDT
by
brytlea
(amnesty--an act of clemency by an authority by which pardon is granted esp. to a group of individual)
To: MikeA
Harris could have been a little more circumspect and nuanced in her expression of this idea instead of shooting from the hip. I disagree. I find her candor refreshing and I don't think she should back pedal one step.
18
posted on
08/27/2006 2:29:48 PM PDT
by
Bloody Sam Roberts
(Dawn of light...lying between a silence and sold sources...)
To: brytlea
Rather than calling her an idiot, why not give us a learned dissertation on why you disagree with her opinion.... When she says "...if Christians are not elected, politicians will "legislate sin," including abortion and gay marriage" means that she has dumped all over Jews and anyone else that doesn't fit her narrow view of Christianity. Deliberately insulting large segments of the population is only one of the uncountable reasons why Harris will be out of politics come January.
To: Rawlings
There's nothing wrong with expressing one's faith, I agree. And were that we had more people of faith in governance like Bush, Lieberman, etc. rather than so many of these secular slobs on the left.
I think President Bush has struck a good balance with showing himself to be a man of faith but without being over-the-top with it, although to listen to the MSM's hysterical caricaturing of his religious devotion you'd think the man was the Christian version of an Iranian mullah. But in fact the president is quite muted about his faith, only bringing it up during appropriate moments and most often when being baited by some media punk to try to make him appear to be some sort of religious fanatic. And when he does so it's done in a very appropriate and respectful way. But clearly the president has good judgment about when and how to express his religious faith. I could never imagine him expressing it as sloppily and recklessly as Harris did.
20
posted on
08/27/2006 2:32:45 PM PDT
by
MikeA
(Not voting out of anger in November is a vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House)
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